


Josh Begins

by tears_of_the_sun



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Multi, Origin Story, Parent Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23962825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tears_of_the_sun/pseuds/tears_of_the_sun
Summary: Josh's Orgin story, and how he came to be a 911 dispatcher.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Josh Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! Two different characters will die in this, so if that's triggering steer clear.

For years, Josh had been a happy go-lucky kid. That is, until about the time he turned 15. When he turned 15 his father was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, which spread to his pancreas and brain. He had died nine months after being diagnosed.

Josh recovered fairly easily. He was strong, and the only child. He needed to be the man of the house and support his mom who had not been doing well. He coped in his own way.

Josh’s mom fell into a depressive state and was not working. Josh, still being in high school, got a job at a mental health hotline. Considering he was working through his own trauma, and he loved helping people, and was not easily triggered, this was a good fit for him. He could relate to the people calling in, and he could calm them down. He had a special touch.

Josh has always been a calming presence.

Josh worked at the hotline until he graduated after his senior year of high school. His senior year he began taking classes in a technical school that offered an EMT certification.

Josh was beyond qualified. He was physically fit, learned and mastered the material easily. It came as a second nature. He passed the exam with flying colors.

He graduated high school with a 3.98 GPA, and an EMT certification, and soon went to work in the Los Angeles EMT department. He was temporarily stationed with the 122. While he was making enough to support himself, now at the young and prime age of 19, he was still living with his mom.

It had been four years, and she never fully recovered from the loss of her husband, instead Josh supported them.

Josh spent the next three years absolutely miserable. He had missed his job at the mental health hotline, and he could not return because it simply didn’t pay enough. He hated being in the field, and he was not a big fan of blood. This was unfitting for an EMT. Yes, he knew what to do and the amount of people he lost on the job was very small compared to his other more experienced coworkers.

He simply hated it, and he wanted a change. No, he needed a change.

So, Josh doing what any young 21-year-old would do, he took a trip to Mexico with his best friend to reevaluate his life choices.

He went with Alex. Josh had met Alex in high school. Alex had gone into the fire academy after graduation, and they had both been stationed at the 122. Alex was truly an amazing, beautiful straight man. He supported Josh all through high school, and coming out, and the loss of his father. Alex stood up to the high school idiots who harassed Josh over his sexuality and had stood by Josh always. Alex was Josh’s biggest supporter, and fiercest competitor.

Alex helped josh analyze what he wanted in life, what he needed and where he could get it.

“Josh, you were so alive working at the hotline center. You had a calling there, go back to it.” Alex encouraged while they were sitting on a beach, beers in hand.

Josh shrugged, “It doesn’t pay enough, and then my EMT certification goes to waste,” he explained.

Alex sighs, and starts to think while taking a drink of his beer. A stroke of genius hits him, “Josh, what about the call center? Ya know, go work for dispatch.” He offered.

Josh sips his own beer and looks at his best friend. The spark of excitement bouncing immediately back in his eyes and he grins. Alex, was a genius, and Josh loved him, “That’s brilliant!”

A week later Josh was walking into the 911 call center in a black shirt. He was paired with Sue, who had been working at the call center for about three years but wasn’t running the place yet.

He sat down to her right and listened to their first call.

“9-1-1 What’s your emergency?” Sue asked into the headset, ready to type.

“Hi, yes my dog is stuck in a tree.” A panicked younger woman explained.

“What’s the address?”

“89 Walter Grove road.”

“I’ve dispatched fire and rescue to your location, they will be there shortly.”

“Thank you!”

*click*

Sue turns to look at the young man sitting next to her. Josh offers her a smile, “That wasn’t so bad,” he said gently, eliciting a smile out of Sue.

Sue backs her chair up and goes on the other side of Josh and he moves over. “Uhm, what are you doing?” he asks a stroke of fear crossing over his face.

“See one, do one, teach one. You’re on the middle step, it’s your turn and you have a call.” She said with kind of an evil grin, sitting back.

Josh sighs and hits the space bar to pick up the line, “911, what’s your emergency?” he asked into the line.

_Silence_

Josh repeats, “911, who is this?” he asks.

_No answer._

Sue is about to step in when Josh puts his hand up to stop her.

“Would you like to order a pizza?” Josh asks, waiting for a response.

Finally, the mysterious voice answers, “Y-yes please.” It’s the voice of a little girl, Josh guesses around 8.

“Hi sweetie, can you give me your address?” he asked and she gives it to him. He types it in. “Are you alone? You can say yes extra cheese or no extra cheese,” he said keeping his voice calm.

“No extra cheese, thank you.” She replied softly.

Josh typed that in as well, “And can I have your name?” he asked

“Claire,” she replied.

“Claire, we have help going to you. Now are there any weapons? If there are can you ask for breadsticks? Is anyone hurting any one? If anyone is hurting anyone you can ask for a drink.” He said calmly and typed in the additional information.

“Can I have bread sticks and apple juice?” The young girl asked into the phone.

Josh typed it in. _Young female, Claire maybe age 8 in a house. Weapons present, and someone is hurting someone else. Unclear who is hurting who._

“Of course, Claire. Your order is on the way. Can you stay on the phone with me?” josh asked.

“No, I’ll be okay. Thank you,” The young girl replied, and the line went dead.

Sue and Josh exchanged a look, and she looked at him puzzled. “How did you-” she started to ask.

“I worked for a mental health hotline for four years. You pick up a thing or two.” Josh explained as the two switched back. Sue nodded, immediately knowing Josh was going to fit right in here.

About two months after Josh joined the call center, he took a call for a three-alarm fire at an old apartment complex. He dispatched the 122.

The call in itself was ordinary, but Josh had a bad feeling.

Shortly thereafter, the call center was blowing up with a massive influx of calls. It was people inside the three-alarm fire which had now progressed to a five-alarm fire.

Seemingly all at the same time, every single dispatcher’s line heard a large explosion, and all of their lines cut off.

Josh’s heart sank.

He had the strongest gut feeling that Alex had been inside.

He walked over to Sue and asked her to get a head count from the 122.

Without asking, Sue asked into the radio.

“Walker”

“Johns”

“Grey”

“Smith”

The captain came on, “Captain Andrews for firefighter Alex.”

_Silence_

“Firefighter Alex, do you copy.”

_Silence._

Tears started to fill in Josh’s eyes, and he sat down numbly before he fell. Sue looked at him, “Josh? Do you know Alex?” she asked. Sue had known Josh used to be attached to the 122’s EMT unit.

Josh nodded, all of the memories with his best friend flooding over him.

“He was my best friend...” he said grimly.

Sue rested her hand on Josh’s leg, “His radio could be broken, don’t think he’s gone. Not yet.”

Josh shook his head. Every fiber of his being knew Alex wasn’t coming home.

The funeral was a week later. Josh was there, in uniform, which the city was nice enough to let him wear, and he saluted his best friend as they lowered him into the ground.

The bells sounded off, pulling at everyone’s heart strings.

The following weeks were rough on Josh. He went back to therapy and dug himself into work. He took all the extra shifts he could. It took a while to be okay again, but then a new group of recruits strolled in, and he met Maddie.

And suddenly, Josh’s life started to make sense again. And he knew that he would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all liked this! Please leave your feedback, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this fic!


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